It’s said that every time you recall something you change the memory. So in fact our memories are never an accurate reflection of what happened, precisely. They a version of our truth, but not the ultimate truth. It becomes the story that we tell ourselves; not the reality to which we have experienced.
But the abstract connection with reality doesn’t lessen the impact of the story (or the memory) on us as people. So that’s where it get’s complicated.
If this is indeed all true, then challenges we face at work (or in any part of our lives) to resolve conflict and come to a common understanding of a situation can seem impossible. How do we reconcile two stories that while similar, are nuanced with slight differences?
I’ve sat in what I call the middle of the table, between a manager and employee; listening to two people argue about essentially the same thing, searching for the pathway forward.
The pathway forward would be easier, had the relationship been founded in empathy and compassion, long before the conversation being had in that moment.
A foundation where there is a common understanding that each of us are unique individuals battered and bruised in someway by life’s daily joys and turmoil. That while we see things differently, different isn’t bad. Where we are compassionate enough to recognise intensity of emotions and feel safe enough to know that when there is a problem to overcome, that we ourselves are not the problem. It’s not about blame – it’s about understanding.
We all come with a story. The story we have crafted for ourselves about our life which casts a shadow or a light over every interaction we have.
Understanding that there is another side to the coin, a blind spot, a perspective that we can’t see – having the patience to hear it and explore it.. well that’s the pathway to a better relationship – with whoever is on the other side of the table.
** If you’re feeling like some brain food, this video about Empathy vs Sympathy is one I find particularly insightful.
This blog post from Seth Godin is also intriguing when it comes to exploring our inner narrative.
This article in the New Yorker is longer form and explores memory even further and its connection to emotional responses.
Image credit: Nancy Kamergorodsky
